FURTHER SCUFFLES.

Press, Issue 14828, 20 November 1913, Page 8

FURTHER SCUFFLES.

TROUBLE IN TARANAKI STREET,

(special to "tiie tress.")

WELLINGTON, November 19

Another scene of disorder was enacted in Taranaki street shortly after 5 p.m. When the country special police were returning to tho Mt. Cook barracks, the whole forco marched together along Jervois quay, where it .vas split into three detachments. Those in front proceeded right along to Clyde •quay, and tho second turned up Tory street. The third, consisting of a small party of mounted and foot "specials," went up the hill by way of Taranaki street. The first two detachments reached their quarters without incident, but tho third had an exciting time. As the rearguard drew opposite Frederick street a young man drove a lorry with a load of flour into that street and drew up opposite a. bakery. It is stated that tho driver has personally no interest in tho strike, and was not even working for wages, but only "lending a hand" to his friend the baker. Notwithstanding this, ho was considerably molested by strikers and hoodlums, who threatened to prevent him from unloading his cart. The young man was somewhat nonplussed, but the commanding officer of the last squad of mounted men, sizing up tho situation in an instand, ordered his troopers to wheel into Frederick street. He told the driver not to attempt to unload the flour —which, by the way, had been, recently shipped from and was, therefore, "black"' cargo—but that his men would carry out the job. "Here, four of you," he* said to his squad, "Get off your horses and * unload this cart." Four men promptly obeyed the order, removed their coats, and advanced to the lorry. The "specials" fell to with a will, and in a few moments the flour was in the bakehouse, and the empty lorry drove off through the other end of the street. The "specials".then set out again for tho barracks, but just as the last sections wero wheeling into Taranaki street a man standing on tho side of the footpath opposite to Frederick street called out loudly, "Oh, you b 'scabs,' get out of it." Like a flash a dozen "specials" wheeled round

aud rode their horses on to the footpath, penning several people against the fence of St. Peter's Mission Hall. Two of the troopers seized one of the men on tho footpath by the shoulders and carried him into the*road, where he was taken charge of by two regular constables. Tlie crowd surged round the prisoner and his captors, and there was a scene of great confusion. The prisoner kept calling out in a loud voice, "It wasn't mc, it wasn't mc. You've got the wrong man." The mounted men cleared a lane through the crowd and the constables hurried their man off to the Mount Cook Police Station. The "specials" then turned their horses no tho hill and rode off to their partners. They were followed by a small crowd of men, who continually asserted that the wrong man had been taken, and that the man who had used the words had slipped away. . It was half an hour before the excitement subsided and the crowd gradually dispersed. At the police station the man gave his named as William George Renoun. He was charged with having used abusive language.